木住野佳子

jazz

YOSHIKO KISHINO pianist, composer and arranger Born in Tokyo, Yoshiko Kishino had started playing the piano when she was three, following her parents' advice. Even then, she outshined others in having perfect pitch, and she could turn all the music she heard into music sheets in her mind, surprising those who were around her. Surrounded by and raised in her family of music lovers, she had been awakened to band-activities, so she put together a band copying the Beatles after she had entered junior high school while studying classical music. She had seen eyes on the hit-tunes on the radio, and had joined in various bands when she was in high school, very much actively played in a number of school festivals. So, she had spent such impressive youth as a band-girl (rock-girlie by her own words). Then she went on to study classical music seriously, as she entered Toho Gakuen School of Music majoring in music. During her school years there, she also continued with her band activities that had shifted from playing rock to contemporary jazz / fusion, inspired by the music world-widely popular musicians, such as Lee Ritenour (guitarist), and Sadao Watanabe (saxophonist). She was awarded twice as the Best Keyboardist at Yamaha's popular music contest which is a prestigious gateway to success for the amateur musicians, broadening her horizons through pop music. Soon after graduation, she formed her own group and while performing shows, she concentrated on brushing up her song...